Cops call jewel heist at mall well-planned

Stolen items worth about $1.4 million

October 23, 2003|By Jodi S. Cohen, Tribune staff reporter.

The three men who got away with nearly $1.4 million in jewelry from an Oak Brook mall jewelry store this week knew what they were doing, but police stopped short Wednesday of saying they were professionals.

"It was done extremely well for an armed robbery. They were fast. They didn't waste any time. They knew what they were looking for," said Bill Hass, Oak Brook deputy police chief.

Indeed, the robbers stole $1,356,000 in diamonds and jewelry from two display cases, including rings, necklaces and earrings, Haas said. There were no customers in the store when the men, each armed with a handgun, arrived shortly after it opened at 10 a.m. Monday. Nobody was injured, police said.

Police released sketches of the unmasked robbers and described them as white men of varying ages. Police relied in part on the reports of four store employees when putting together the sketches. They had no suspects Wednesday, Haas said.

The youngest man is described as between 25 and 35 years old, 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, with a stocky build and brown hair. He had a scar or bruise under his left eye and a goatee. He was wearing a silver sports jersey with "Kova" and an unknown number embroidered on the back. The letters are thought to be part of a name. He also was wearing jeans and gym shoes.

The second man is described as 35 to 45 years old, 5-foot-6 and 180 to 190 pounds. He has hazel eyes, brown shoulder-length hair and crooked teeth. He was wearing a beige-and-white-striped shirt and a gold necklace.

The third robber is 45 to 55 years old, 5-foot-11 with a thin build. He was wearing wire-frame glasses, and had shoulder length blond and gray hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved blue-and-white-striped shirt and a gold necklace.

The men entered the store one by one and had a brief conversation with employees. Each of them then pulled out a handgun and said they were robbing the store, police said. They directed four female employees to the store's back room and bound their hands, obtained keys to the display cases, grabbed the jewelry and fled.

Police declined to say how the employees freed themselves. One of them called police about 10:35 a.m.

Haas said Oak Brook police are looking for connections between other jewelry thefts in the state and country.

"We are accessing all local, state and federal agencies that would have information that would benefit us," he said.

Store employees said they were told not to comment and referred calls to Zales Corp., the Irving, Texas-based parent company of Bailey Banks & Biddle. Company officials did not return calls seeking comment.